In September of last year, Wespath hosted 40 individuals for a conversation about Paragraph 717 of The Book of Discipline. Paragraph 717 is the section in the Discipline that outlines a blueprint for how United Methodist investors should seek to align their investment activities with UMC values.
The 717 Gathering started with a focus on Scripture, specifically 1 Corinthians 3:6: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (NRSVUE) Reflecting on that Scripture a year later, I am confident that a seed was planted during the two-day gathering that has already led to meaningful growth. We have seen signs of growth through new relationships, deeper conversations, new understandings of sustainability that reflect the worldwide Church and a growing desire across our connection to discern together what faithful stewardship can look like. We do not claim we have all the answers. But we do believe that God is always at work in this journey. (More information about the 717 Gathering is available here.)
There was consensus among attendees on three themes:
- It is important to center faith in discussions on sustainable investing within the UMC.
- The Social Principles are the key reference point for our values as UMC investors.
- There is a need to expand our discussions to more actively engage perspectives from the worldwide Church.
Looking back on the past year, I can confidently say that Wespath’s sustainable investment work has integrated these insights. I am equally confident that we still have work to do.
Let’s start with progress. Now, when we engage with United Methodist audiences, we are inviting a broader theological conversation. We are not simply discussing Paragraph 717; we also are inviting insights on the broader theological question of what it means to invest as faithful stewards. This is more than a shift in language. It is an invitation to discern together how our faith shapes the way we understand and practice investing. It is a meaningful shift in discernment that centers UMC values in how we relate to the work of sustainable investing.
That discernment is grounded in the Wesleyan tradition. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral gives us four pillars—Scripture, tradition, reason and experience—through which we can prayerfully consider questions of faithful stewardship. These pillars help us ask not only what our policy allows, but also what our faith calls us to do.
The Social Principles also remain a north star for Wespath. Wespath annually presents its values-aligned investing projects and priorities to the UMC Principles Committee. The Principles Committee is the Wespath Board of Directors’ committee responsible for overseeing Wespath’s adherence to the values of the UMC. My colleague Meagan Tenety recently enhanced this process by mapping Wespath’s values-aligned activities to their corresponding Social Principles. The framework Meagan developed will be the foundation for the annual review with the Principles Committee going forward.
In addition, we are very grateful for the opportunity to partner with Reverend Neal Christie as a consultant. He is actively informing our engagement with the worldwide Church on faithful stewardship. Neal brings invaluable experience, having helped to lead the revision of the Social Principles. In this collaboration with Neal, we are seeking not only to center our work on the goals of the Social Principles, but also to align with the principles of inclusivity, listening and engagement with the worldwide connection that made the Social Principles revision process such a success.
Lastly, we have made the most progress on engaging with the worldwide Church. This work at Wespath is led by Reverend Dorlimar Lebrón and Reverend Laura Kigweba. Since these engagement efforts began in earnest earlier this year, Laura and Dorlimar have traveled throughout the church, connecting with over 1,000 members across the worldwide denomination on the question of what it means to invest as faithful stewards. These engagements have prioritized global gatherings of the UMC, including the Global Young People’s Convocation, the African College of Bishops and the United Women in Faith Assembly, with discussions at the Philippines Coordinating Council still to come. At each event, attendees have shared their appreciation with Laura and Dorlimar for deepening their understanding of faithful stewardship.
Looking ahead, there is still significant work to do. At Wespath, we believe work like centering faith in investment processes and aligning with the goals of the Social Principles is never finished. There will always be more we can do and ways we can improve. This is especially true in the increasingly fractured and complex world we are all navigating today.
Our engagements with the worldwide Church have also highlighted the need to deepen our relationships beyond the U.S. Listening is an important first step, but our efforts can’t (and won’t) stop there. Wespath must continue finding new ways to partner with the broader Church and respond meaningfully to its needs, while actively leaning into the tremendous knowledge, experience and talent already present across our worldwide connection.
Candidly, as we look further out, we don’t know exactly where all of these efforts will lead. What we do know is that Wespath will keep planting and watering, listening faithfully, learning from one another and remaining open to where the Spirit leads, trusting God to give the growth.
Jake Barnett is managing director of sustainable investment strategies at Wespath.
This content was originally published by Wespath republished with permission on ResourceUMC.org on October 16, 2026.